: Re: Worth writing, if end is obvious I am currently sketching a novel about people at the end of time, some months or years before the Big Crunch: There is a space station full of people who

Just because The Crunch happens doesn't mean that your protagonists all lose.

Yes, the obvious antagonist is The Crunch. But is that all your heroes are fighting? Is that all they're striving for?

All your heroes are facing imminent doom. That does things to people. They may lose faith, or gain it (the religious folks — and they can have diverse reactions). People cling to routines (the boss) or descend into hysterical nihilism (the maniac).

You don't have A Plot as much as A Series of Character Arcs. Those individual conflicts are interesting and worth exploring. The Series of Arcs is the point of your story, not the Inevitable Crunch.

Also, who says The Crunch has to kill everyone? Maybe you have a side thread of a ship rushing to save everyone, or somehow divert The Crunch, or The Crunch is actually a way to pass into another universe. et cetera. Then you have both the resolution of the various Character Arcs and the exploration of what happens when people prepare themselves for death but it doesn't happen.

If your givens aren't working, change your givens.

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: What should I do if I know the antagonist but too many options for protagonist? I have decided on my antagonist for my first novel. They are pretty much being brought back to power by traitors

@Debbie451

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: How difficult will writing a novel be for someone without formal training? I almost asked the question "Can someone without formal training write a novel?", but the answer of course is yes.

@Debbie451

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: I wouldn't just use fire and ice. The classic Four Elements (earth, air, fire, water) have been used for mythological and magical structures for many stories. Look at the Avatar: The Last

@Debbie451

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: What is it called when the reader is the focal point? Here is an example of what I mean in present-tense (though narrative time is irrelevant): You walk into the empty room, you should be

: Re: Worth writing, if end is obvious I am currently sketching a novel about people at the end of time, some months or years before the Big Crunch: There is a space station full of people who

More posts by @Debbie451

: What should I do if I know the antagonist but too many options for protagonist? I have decided on my antagonist for my first novel. They are pretty much being brought back to power by traitors

: How difficult will writing a novel be for someone without formal training? I almost asked the question "Can someone without formal training write a novel?", but the answer of course is yes.

: I wouldn't just use fire and ice. The classic Four Elements (earth, air, fire, water) have been used for mythological and magical structures for many stories. Look at the Avatar: The Last

: What is it called when the reader is the focal point? Here is an example of what I mean in present-tense (though narrative time is irrelevant): You walk into the empty room, you should be

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